County supervisor calls for emergency management director to be fired

Aug. 17, 2013

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Post-Crescent Media

Sharane Wiedenhoeft surveys heavy damage Aug. 7 at her home on Hillock Court in Appleton. Many residents have criticized Outagamie County for failing to sound sirens before the fast-moving storm hit. / Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media

Storm timeline

The storm hit overnight Aug. 6-7. 10:46 p.m.: The National Weather Service issues a severe thunderstorm watch for the region. 11:50 p.m.: A severe thunderstorm warning is issued for Waupaca County. 12:23 a.m.: First tornado hits southwest of New London, causing significant damage to Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. The tornado ends in Greenville at 12:33 a.m. 12:25 a.m.: Second tornado strikes farther south of New London and causes two injuries at Huckleberry Campground. 12:30 a.m.: The National Weather Service issues a severe thunderstorm warning for Calumet, Outagamie and Winnebago counties. 12:35 a.m.: Just north of Greenville, a third tornado touches down, traveling through Appleton near the Northland Mall and ending at 12:52 a.m. northeast of Forest Junction. 12:38 a.m.: The fourth tornado hits Mackville and ends 3 miles east-southeast of Greenleaf at 12:53 a.m. 12:40 a.m.: A fifth tornado travels 30 miles from west-southwest of Freedom to east of Maribel, where it ends at 1:10 a.m. 1:06 a.m.: The final tornado hits 2 miles southwest of Pilsen, ending three minutes later southeast of the town. Source: National Weather Service Aug. 12 report

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APPLETON — Outagamie County leaders pledged to correct major flaws in the emergency communications system that went unaddressed until the Aug. 6-7 storm that wreaked $31 million in damage.

County Executive Tom Nelson told Gannett Wisconsin Media on Saturday he already confirmed that a backup generator that was unconnected to a critical communications tower was reconnected as it should have been.

“When the generator issue was brought to my attention I, one, made sure it was reconnected, and two, went to find out why it was unconnected in the first place,” Nelson said, acknowledging he has yet to find the answer.

Nelson also said he will speed up installation of a $50,000 repeater, which helps relay transmissions over long distances for law enforcement. The Binghamton Tower in Black Creek is equipped with one repeater, but Steve Hansel, the deputy emergency management director, told the Public Safety Committee in February the system used by law enforcement was at risk of failure because it lacked a second repeater.

The Public Safety Committee decided in a closed session Friday to ask Nelson to discipline some sheriff’s department personnel for failing to address the problems with the tower. The committee also asked Nelson to discipline Emergency Management Director Julie Loeffelholz — including possibly firing her — for failing to sound sirens before the severe thunderstorm and six tornadoes hit the region.

County Supervisor Tanya Rabec, a former 911 dispatcher, said Loeffelholz should be fired because of the “major breakdown” in the process of deciding whether to sound the sirens.

“Nothing against her personally, but in the minutes that mattered most, she failed to do her job,” Rabec told Post-Crescent Media on Saturday.

“The liability was great with these severe storms and tornadoes. The sirens are a part of our system in addition to weather radios and she put us at risk.”

Rabec, who represents Appleton, said a review of the storm shows tornado reports in New London provided enough time for the sirens to be activated.

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“At first I thought this was a breakdown of policy, but in reviewing the documents the policy is good, and it protects people and property from storms,” Rabec said. “She failed to follow our policy.”

Loeffelholz declined Saturday to comment, saying it was an internal county issue.

When asked specifically if he still had confidence in Loeffelholz, Nelson declined to answer, citing the pending personnel matter. He said he remains confident in the storm warning system, which includes 44 sirens.

Nelson also pointed out that just last month, Loeffelholz and county officials heard criticism from “several quarters” that the sirens were used too often, including before a quick July afternoon thunderstorm that caused no serious damage.

Loeffelholz has the strong backing of Greenville Town Chairman Randy Leiker, whose town was pounded by the storm that knocked out power to about 60,000 We Energies customers across the region, some for days.

Leiker said the call to discipline Loeffelholz is “ridiculous,” and that she made no mistake by not sounding the sirens.

“Sirens aren’t meant for indoor notification,” he said. “At 12:30 at night, how many people will receive that outdoor notification? That storm was 100 decibels louder than what the siren was anyhow. It sounded like 10 trains coming through Greenville.”

“I heard from a number of residents questioning why the tornado sirens weren’t triggered. I think there are still many questions,” Nooyen said. “Residents have a degree of responsibility to turn on the radio and watch TV, but a siren could have given a heads up that there was a serious storm approaching.”

National Weather Service meteorologists have been critical of the public outcry over the sirens, and have said the rare, fast-moving storm was unpredictable. Their argument is that the sirens are designed as an outdoor warning, and that the best tool to receive warnings is a weather radio.

Supervisor Helen Nagler called the unusual storm a “wake-up call” for county officials to evaluate warning systems. She attended Friday’s closed-door briefing.

“Things don’t always go as well as you’d like — your job is to make sure it’s better the next time,” Nagler said. “Maybe we better look at chain of command a little bit, and make sure managers are closest to the situation and have the best tools. I definitely think we’ll make some changes.”

“There will be a time and a place when we take that broader view, but that time isn’t today,” Nelson said. “Priority one must be helping those communities clear rubble, repair damage and get back to normal. Anything short of that is a disservice to those communities.”